Spring hinge

ABSTRACT

A SINGLE-PIECE SPRING HINGE WITH SPACED FIRST STRAP MEANS EXTENDING FROM A FIRST EDGE OF A ROLLED LEAF SPRING ELEMENT AND SECOND STRAP MEANS EXTENDING FROM AN OPPOSITE EDGE OF THE SPRING ELEMENT THROUGH THE OPENING FORMED BETWEEN THE FIRST STRAP MEANS, WHERE THE FIRST AND SECOND STRAP MEANS ARE CONNECTED TO THE ADJOINING ELEMENTS TO BE PIVOTABLY FASTENED BY THE HINGE.

Feb. 9, 1971 Q I AMREIN I 3,561,039

. f SPRING HINGE Filed June 24, 1969 IN YE N TOR flare? L. Amrein ATTDPNE) United States Patent 3,561,039 SPRING HINGE David L. Amrein, St. Charles, Mo., assignor to American Air Filter Company, Inc., Louisville, Ky., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 24, 1969, Ser. No. 836,072 Int. Cl. E05f 1/12 US. Cl. 16-180 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In certain applications spring hinge devices are used to provide means to simultaneously pivot a selected element from a first to a second selected position to provide access to selected areas and to return the element to the second position when released.

Some previous hinge devices have included separate, pivotably interlocking, two-piece strap assemblies with spring means interconnecting the two straps to provide the bias efiect.

Such previous spring hinge means have been expensive to fabricate, have not been entirely satisfactory in operation, and have required assembly of multiple pieces.

Other previous spring hinge assemblies have included single-piece hinges with two strap means where a part of the hinge is twisted and connected between the, straps to provide the bias means to return the hinge to a selected position. Such devices are relatively expensive to fabricate and because of the stress imposed by twisting the bias element, the hinges have a relatively short life.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a straightforward spring hinge which can be formed from a fiat blank, which can, for example, be stamped from a sheet of selected material, where multiplicity of spring hinges can be formed from a strip of sheet stock with a minimum waste of material.

Furthermore, the present invention advantageously provides a spring hinge where the spring can be deformed and returns to a selected position determined by the configuration of the blank from which the hinge is formed.

Various other features of the present invention will become obvious to those skilled in the art upon reading the disclosure set forth hereinafter.

More particularly, the present invention provides a spring hinge including: an elongate leaf spring having a selectively curved transverse cross section; first strap means extending from a first longitudinal edge of the spring where the first strap means are disposed in mutually spaced relation along the first edge to form an opening therebetween; second strap means extending from a second, opposite, longitudinal edge of the leaf element through the opening formed between the first spaced strap means.

It is to be understood that the description of one example of the present invention given hereinafter is not by way of limitation, and that various changes can be made in the arrangement, form, or configuration of the example shown without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention.

3,561,039 Patented Feb. 9, 1971 Referring now to the figures:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an example of a spring hinge in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view of a flat blank from which a spring hinge as shown in FIG. 1 can be formed; and

FIG. 3 is a view taken along a plane passing through line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 1, the example of the spring hinge shown includes an elongate rolled leaf spring element 1 having first strap means 2 extending laterally therefrom to form an opening 3 therebetween, and second strap means 4 extending from an opposite edge of the leaf element where strap 4 is positioned and adapted to fit through space 3 provided between straps 1.

Leaf 1 can be made of a sheet of selected resilient material, for example spring steel, and rolled so that the leaf can be deformed in response to change in the relative position of elements to which the hinge is attached, and then returns to its original shape to return the elements to which the hinge is connected, for example a door and frame, to their original relative positions.

The spring shown in the example of FIG. 1 can be formed from a fiat blank as shown in FIG. 2. The flat blank can be stamped from selected material, for example metal or plastic, and if designed as shown in FIG. 1 where strap 4 and opening 3 are of substantially the same width and the blanks are stamped from a strip of material having a width equal to the length of leaf 1, a large number of spring blanks can be obtained from a sheet of material with practically no waste.

The blank shown in FIG. 1 is rolled so that the second strap 4 is passed through opening 3 defined between straps 1. The degree of roll can be equal to or more or less than shown in the example of the figures to provide a selected angular orientation between straps 2 and 4 depending upon the application intended.

In one method, the spring blank, as shown in FIG. 2, can be made of a ductile material which is easily formed and becomes resilient after treatment, for example heat treatment. In such methods, the blank is stamped from the selected material and is rolled when the material is in the ductile condition so that upon heat treatment, the spring acquires resilient properties, is retained in the rolled configuration, and returns to the selected configuration after deformation.

Referring now to FIG. 3, it will be noted that the rotation of strap 2 of FIG. 3, i.e., by movement of the element to which the spring is attached, in a counterclockwise direction is limited by contact between edge 8 and strap 2. Thus, edge 8 can be used as a stop to limit movement of the hinge and by proper selection of the width of leaf section 1, the degree of curvature of the rolled leaf element and the length of the strap, the configuration of the spring can be modified so that edge 8 advantageously contacts leg 2 after a selected rotation.

Spring hinges provided by the present invention can be fastened to adjoining elements for use in various applications, and in the example of FIG. 1, it will be noted that holes 5 and 10 are provided in strap means 1 and 2, respectively, to provide means to attach the formed spring hinge to such cooperative elements.

It has likewise been recognized that while in the example shown, straps 4 and 2 lie in generally parallel relation in the formed hinge, the angle between the straps on opposite sides of the element can be varied according to the application of the hinge. Furthermore, there can be different angular relation between straps on the same side of the leaf element for other applications.

The invention claimed is:

1. A spring hinge including: elongate leaf spring having a selectively curved, transverse cross section; first strap means extending in a lateral direction from a first longitudinal edge of said spring where said strap means are disposed in mutually spaced relation along said first edge to form an opening therebetween; second strap means extending from a second longitudinal edge opposite said first edge of said curved spring and through the opening formed between said first spaced strap means.

2. The spring of claim 1 wherein said curved spring element forms a portion of a hollow cylinder, with said first strap means extending laterally away from said spring element in a first direction and said second strap means extending away from said spring element in a direction opposite from said first strap means in a parallel plane with said first strap means.

3. The spring of claim 1 wherein said curved spring References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,482,704 2/1924 Schwartz 16-128 2,141,709 12/1938 Farrelly 22030.6

BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner D. L. TROUTMAN, Assistant Examiner 

